Author Archives: Elliot Margolies

January 16, 2019Comments Off on Thought There Was Help for Immigrants (Guatemala)

Beatriz (name changed) was born in Guatemala, Tumbador. She lived in Guatemala for 20 years. She migrated to the United States because for two reasons. She wanted to help her parents because they worked on a farm cutting coffee berries. The work was very difficult and they didn’t earn very much money. Hortencia and her sisters also worked on the ... Read More »

Yalitza (name changed) was born in El Salvador. She stopped going to school after third grade because her mom couldn’t pay the fees. She started working with her mom selling fruit in the market. When she was 16, she started working sewing clothes in a factory. She had me when she was 18. She worked hard so I could go ... Read More »

Carlos (name changed) was born in Mexico. He lived in Guadalajara with his parents and two sisters. When he was 14 years old he stopped going to school because his parents didn’t have money. He worked in construction with his father every day and also he fell in love. He and his girlfriend went to church together with his family ... Read More »

My grandma Josephina (name changed) is from Michoacan, Mexico. She was born in 1964. She finished elementary school, and then she started working. She got married when she was 17, but her husband was abusive and she divorced him. She married my grandfather and they had four children. She came to California because she wanted a better life for her ... Read More »

Ramon (named changed) was born in Puebla, Mexico. He studied until he was 20, but then he couldn’t pay the university fees so he started working in a supermarket. When he was 25 years old he decided to come to this country. He knew he would have more job opportunities here. Also there was a lot of violence in Mexico ... Read More »

My uncle Jaime was born in El Salvador in 1993. The reason why he came to the United States was because he was scared to live in El Salvador because of the social and political situation. He came to look for protection in the United States. He was scared to be killed by the gangs or someone from his family ... Read More »

Juan (name changed) was born in Lourdes Colon, El Salvador in 1980. He didn’t finish school because he had a child and had to work. He delivered Coca Cola, but he didn’t get paid much. He left El Salvador with a coyote in 2004. Juan’s journey took twenty eight days walking and driving. He came to United States to work ... Read More »

Diego (name changed) was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico in 1980. He worked as a merchant. He unloaded the goods from the trucks. He earned good pay on it but he decided to come to the United States because he had some problems with dangerous people. These people were looking for him. In the city where he lived there were ... Read More »

A mother, born in the heart of India but grew up in a different country every year. A father, born in small-town India but grew up in Zambia. A mother whose father was in the navy and grew up eating a wide variety of foods. A father whose parents were strictly vegetarian and won’t kill a fly. A mother who ... Read More »

“After miles of walking and restless nights, we finally came to a stop.” This is the story of how my dad and my mom had to leave their home. Tonga, a place where there is peace and hardly any violence. People would wake up to the sound of singing birds and a beautiful view of the beach and the sun ... Read More »